What have I been up to?

Lot's of projects have been completed lately but not a lot of blogging.  I completed a table runner with some of the leftover pieces I had from the memory quilt.  This went to the adult son of my friend.  He is getting married soon and I thought it would make a nice gift.  And I didn't want the leftover pieces to go to waste.  This way they can be appreciated and the memories remain strong.  I finished a Star Wars quilt for a young boy.  His sisters are getting the butterfly and the scrap quilt so he needed something for himself.  This was just a tie together quilt that Joann's sells.  It was easy to make but I know he will love it.  Between these projects I have been helping my twin boys finish first grade, working out like a mad women to Jillian Micheal's DVD's, driving kids to baseball and Sunday School, and watching Game of Thrones and Vampire Diaries.  And my new favorite pastime is reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  I am on book 2 of this 8 book series and I am in love with the main character Jaime.  What a heartthrob.  I have many more projects that I am working on so I hope to post more pictures soon.

Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest.  If you are wondering why I am not blogging it is because I am pinning.  Pinterest is like a dream come true for me.  A place to store everything I was always emailing to myself.  It is like having a virtual magazine with all my favorite things.  I have added a Pinterest button to my blog if you want to follow me.  Check it out.  Its fun.  Even my six year olds have their own Boards.

Pin Wheel Quilt

This is my friend Barbara's quilt.  I made it for her using her husband's shirts.  The pillows were also made from his shirts.  I used my Accuquilt to cut out 6 inch squares.  Actually one of my boys cut out all the squares.  I then sewed two squares together to make the triangles.  The triangles then matched up to make the pin wheels.  I think I used about 8 shirts total.  It may have been less.  One shirt can yield almost 36 squares.  There are several good blogs that show you how to cut a men's shirt to get the most use out of it.  The back and the boarder were made from one twin size sheet.  The pillows were made from one shirt each.  I used the shirt buttons as the way to put the pillow inside.  So the insert can be easily removed and the pillow case washed.  Using old shirts is a great way to preserve the memory of a loved one.

Butterfly Quilt

The butterfly quilt is finished.  I had my two little professional models demo it for me.  I have never made a quilt like this and it presented some challenges.  First off I had to get the pattern blown up by 400%.  That required a trip to the local copy store.  Then I had to sew curves which turned out fine but sewing around the angles did not go so well.  I am not sure what the secret to that is so I will have to investigate that area if I ever make this pattern again. 

The colors came out really great on this quilt.  The recipient, a seven year old girl, chose all the colors herself (I helped a little).  Her color scheme came out nice.  I putt a little extra stuffing in the body portion of the butterfly.  This is not what the pattern called for but I think it gave it an extra nice touch.  I can't wait to give this to her.  I know she is going to love it.

Homemade Spagetti Sauce

I like to cook natural when I can.  And I have been wanting to try and make my own pasta sauce.  I hate all the sugar that comes in store bought sauces.  I found a recipe in the William Sanoma catalogue which I tried the other night.  Actually Z made the sauce.  It was very easy to make and actually tasted great.  I thought everyone would hate it since they were so used to store bought sauces.  And I thought I would miss the flavor of a jar sauce.  But this was really good and healthy.  No sugar at all!!  And the best part was the kids ate it.  Even the kid who always wants the pasta plain.  I also had fun explaining that if we had eaten this meal out it would have costs about $30.00 for the dish.  But making it ourselves we spent around $4 per person (including the pasta and meatballs.)  Check out the recipe here.

Castle Stairs

This is a quilt made with a jelly roll.  Actually half of a jelly roll.  You just keep sewing around and around your center piece until the desired size.  I found the pattern at the Moda Bakeshop.  I used the same jelly roll to make the boarder.  And I was lucky enough to find a piece of matching fabric for the back.

Sorry this picture is sideways but I am still really having trouble with the new format of this blog.  Just tilt to the left and you will see it clearly. But really you can lay this quilt anyway you want since there is no top and no bottom.

Star Wars Craft Book - Oh My!!

Did you know about this book?  I can't believe I did not know about this book.  The Start Wars Craft Book was made for me and my kids.  I checked the publication date and it only came out March of last year so at least it wasn't out during our Star Wars phase.  I can't wait to check this book out.  Thank goodness my local library has it.  Update on some WIP's:  The butterfly quilt is coming along great.  The right wing is done and I have started on the left. If you want to get a sneak peak at this pattern it can be found here  - Joann's Butterfly Quilt pattern. If you plan to try this I suggest you really read all the comments because they discuss how to enlarge the pattern which was very helpful.  I will add some photos of the butterfly soon.  I have also continued working on the men's shirt quilt. I have been using my Accuquilt Go to cut out the 6 inch squares.  I can cut 6 perfect 6 inch squares at a time.  I am trying to cut one shirt a night.  I am amazed every time I see this machine in action.  And Z got a kick out of it too.  He sat with me while I cut one of the shirts delighting each time we lifted up the cutting board and looked at how perfect the cut squares looked.